Gas turbine engines, such as those utilized in commercial and military aircraft, utilize a compressor section to draw air into a flow path, a combustor section to mix compressed air with a fuel and ignite the mixture, and a turbine section to expand the resultant combustion products. The expansion of the resultant combustion products drives the turbine section to rotate, which in turn drives the compressor section to rotate.
As a result of the exposure to combustion products, components within the turbine section are subject to extreme heat. To prevent heat related fatigue and damage, the turbine components are actively cooled via internal cooling flow paths. Frequently air, or another coolant, is expelled from the internal cooling passages along the surface of the turbine engine component to create a film cooling effect on the exterior surface of the turbine engine component.